Designed in line with the widows and senior citizens' allowance programme, it will be included in the next budget, according to a decision of an inter-ministerial meeting held at the finance ministry conference room and headed by Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman.

The meeting also decided to increase the number of beneficiaries under the programme for widows and senior citizens from the present 13 lakh to 15 lakh and the monthly allowance of Tk 175 from the present Tk 165 per head by the next fiscal year.

The government grant of Tk 700 each per month for orphans will also be increased to Tk 1000.

Saifur Rahman at the meeting suggested that the agriculture ministry take steps to convert the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation into a seed development corporation.

House rent-cut of diplomats
Meanwhile, BDNEWS reports Saifur Rahman yesterday directed the foreign ministry to reduce the house rent of Bangladeshi diplomats abroad.

The diplomats take huge amount of money as their house rents, the finance minister said at a briefing following a meeting with the officials of the ministries of foreign, agriculture, water resources, LGRD, social welfare, women and children affairs, fisheries and livestock, and power.

"An ambassador takes $2,000 as house rent; when another diplomat is appointed replacing the previous one, he hikes up the rent to $3,000," he was quoted as saying.

Saifur suggested to the foreign ministry that there should be a policy to make the matter rational and transparent.